Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In case Deputy Healy-Rae thinks we are laughing at him, we are not. Everyone in this House is entitled to his or her viewpoint and opinion. I and my colleagues will listen to everyone. I can understand where Deputy Healy-Rae's concerns are coming from, especially with regard to rural areas.

I commend Deputy Darragh O'Brien on the considerable amount of work he has done on the Bill. We have a new problem in that many people who bought homes at the height of the market are paying substantial management fees of up to €2,500 per annum. These fees apply in cities and many other urban areas and are a major cost for the 500,000 people who pay them. There are more than 7,000 management companies. Deputy O'Brien is right to bring this Bill forward and it is right that we are having this conversation on legislation that would ease the burden on these people who must pay twice.

As has been noted, the local property tax was established to fund services such as maintenance of public lighting, roads, footpaths, groundskeeping, management of public parks and so on. Apartment owners and residents of managed complexes, however, already pay for many services, including lighting maintenance, road surfacing, footpaths and public green spaces, through their annual management fee. This means that some homeowners are paying for the same service on the double. My constituency colleague, Deputy Fitzmaurice, referred to property taxes and planning fees as they apply in rural areas. People query politicians about the reasons they have to pay such large fees and ask what these fees are used for. When we tell them they are to pay for services, they tell us they do not have footpaths, public lighting or public green spaces in their area. I acknowledge that people use libraries and parks and most of them do not have an issue with making a contribution towards the costs.

We need to address this issue and advance the legislation. I am sure Deputy O'Brien will be open to suggestions from any side of the House. I welcome that Sinn Féin has given strong support to the Bill through Deputies Ó Broin and Ellis. Deputy Fitzmaurice has also been very supportive. It is acknowledged and accepted that there is an issue that needs to be addressed. This legislation is about ensuring we have a fair property tax system where nobody pays on the double for the same services. We hear a great deal about double taxation. That is not on and Fianna Fáil is committed to ensuring there is no increase in the local property tax for homeowners. We want to ensure a fairer more equitable system is put in place when the review is finalised and the report published. We will work with all people and other parties to achieve this objective. I accept that there is a cost factor and money has to be found for services. We should tackle this issue head on and sort it out. I compliment my colleague, Deputy O'Brien, on introducing the Bill.

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